This is a guide for Davion who, though beardless, is the only DotA hero who is manly enough to breathe fucking fire. Needless to say, one has to be pretty awesome in order to do such things. I suppose you could also go out and buy the Habanero Tabasco Sauce, but since you're reading this guide, you probably aren't manly enough for that, are you? Nonetheless, if you are, at least to some extent, a salty, hairy, son of a bitch, read on.

There are two types of people in the world: people who are smart enough to realize this (ie, me) and retards (which may or may not include you). DotA players often mistake survivability for tankability. They see Davion has a skill that increases both his HP regen and his armor and they jizz themselves over the possibility of pairing that with a Vanguard! OMFG IMBA!

Here's a question for you: how many tanks have a passive AoE cleave that scales with their damage? If you say Magnus or Kunkka, congratulations: you're an idiot! Leviathan? Whoops! His doesn't scale! If you do not embrace this fact to its fullest, you are gimping yourself and, as a result, your team. Davion is one of a fairly small number of heroes who can kill an entire team. We call them - get this - carries. Davion's skill at doing this actually pushes him closer to hard carry status than anything, as he naturally scales with the simple act of leveling up.

If nothing else, think of it like this. If abilities that enhanced survivability in some way, shape or form were truly indicative of a hero's role, the best tank in the game would be Faceless Void. I mean, after all, what other hero has an ability that lets them dodge not just physical attacks - with an immunity to True Strike, no less - and spells, including ultimates? Of course, if you have ever tried to actually use Void as a tank, you probably did a great impersonation of a prison bitch. While it's true that Davion has an ability to tank, this doesn't mean it's his best role.

Tank/Pusher, you say? Sure, at Level 6, Davion is a solid pusher. But he's only a solid pusher until you get the next level of your ultimate...because you know, a 100% cleave that turns into a 100% Eye of Skadi cleave is so bad. Tank/Pusher? Why not just pick Krobelus?

At the risk of stating the obvious, this is your nuke. The cooldown is only 12 seconds, but Davion doesn't have the mana pool to spam this spell. In the early game, use it to last hit only if you can either A) kill two or more creeps with it, B) kill a creep and hit an enemy hero with it, or C) all of the above. Past that, also use it to nab hero kills whenever you can. Any team that is not comprised of dumbfucks will be happy to have the carry (ie, you) get the kills. The AoE is fairly small, and if Davion isn't in range of wherever you click, you'll have to wait for him to run over to use it. Don't waste the fire!

Dragon Tail (T)

Your single target stun. Use it to get a First Blood, use it to avoid being a First Blood, use it to start a gank, use it to avoid getting ganked, use it if your woman back-talks you. Unfortunately, multiple levels in this skill do not give very impressive gains, and Davion kind of hits like a pussy. Get it at first level and then forget about it for a while.

Dragon Blood (D)

Quit playing with yourself. This skill is great but it's far from the main attraction. This gives you all-thrills no-frills survivability. As such, multiple levels in it should only be gained if the aforementioned survivability is an issue. You are not a tank. You are not a tank. You are not a tank.

Elder Dragon Form (R)

Davion eats your shit. This is his draw. This is the reason to play Davion. This is why Davion is a hard carry. Actually, though, he becomes a pusher at Level 6, as Corrosive Breath can rip through a tower like Roseanne through a tub of butter. What's better than raping towers? Raping teams! You get to do that at Level 11! What's even better than that? Getting a Skadi effect on top of it! That's Level 16! This skill also gives Davion a much-needed speed boost. Use it whenever there's any action that requires your attention.

Davion's ideal build is the first skill listed for each level. Depending on how much harassment you're facing - or how just plain awful you are - you may require an additional level of Dragon Blood for survivability. Don't take additional levels of it unless you simply aren't surviving. However, don't max Breathe Fire any later than Level 8, as it only loses its value over time. Maxing Dragon Tail can wait until after Level 16, when the increased stun duration becomes more meaningful. In general, the better you're doing, the more often you should skill up Stats because it will bring you closer to taking over the game.

If you have absolutely no clue what you're doing, grab two Circlets and turn them into Bracers. If you absolutely suck balls at last hitting, grab a Quelling Blade. If you fear spell spammers or just want a great all-around build, grab three Branches and a Magic Stick. If you are good at this game and can Breathe Fire like a motherfucker, get four Branches and three Clarities (laughing your ass off is optional). Grabbing Gauntlets to work toward an Urn is also an option, though generally the above scenarios should cover just about everybody.

Core Build

Every future Burninator needs the following items:

Treads is the footwear of choice since it's the only one that actually scales. Elder Dragon Form covers the rest of the speed boost you need, and since you're only a badass when you're a dragon, that's more than enough.

Magic Wand is an all-around fantastic item. It gives back HP. It gives back MP. It saves your ass. It loves you. It helps you stay in lane against some of the more annoying opponents (Medusa comes to mind) and can also serve as an early-warning system.

You should also strongly consider getting at least one of the following:

Davion is a fine choice for an Urn. In addition to helping to alleviate your early mana concerns, it also grants you a little bit more Strength. More importantly, stored souls can be used in lots of fun ways or simply to save your ass. If your teammates are helpful, set up ganks for you and let you get the last hits, Urn is a great pickup.

Soul Ring also has its uses. An on-demand shot of mana guarantees you have enough to use any of your spells. The extra HP regeneration also shouldn't be underestimated: it can keep you from putting points in Dragon Blood, leaving you more of an opportunity to take precious Stats instead. Use Sacrifice to finish off a creep wave or as an emergency measure in a team fight. Use it carefully, though, as a low-level Davion does not have enough HP to comfortably deal with taking what amounts to a self-inflicted nuke.

Orbs and You

Use one of these to wreck the other team's collective shits:

Helm of the Dominator is the universal choice. Lifesteal is fantastic for a damage dealing carry and if you can micro, grabbing a Centaur or an Alpha Wolf can be devastating. You're not a woman: you can do two things at once, right?

Then What?

Take your pick:

If you took Lifesteal as your orb, an Armlet is absolutely tits for a Strength carry. Naturally, you can upgrade your Helm to a Satanic. Past that, if you're getting disabled into Oblivion, make it go away with a BKB. From there, grab yourself a Hyperstone and stack whatever you need. You're a cleaving bastard: go big or go home.

You're a carry. That's what you're supposed to do. Get a babysitter and bring those creeps down! Let your teammates ward and gank. Your job is to build yourself up so you can take over the game later. If you can get a gank in your lane, good. Breathe Fire and grab the kill. Pull creep camps, stack creep camps, and don't push a lane. If you don't know how to do any of these things, kill yourself there are other guides for those on this very site. The only time you should not be ricing is when you're moving to another lane to rice there, or when your Green Elder Dragon Form is up and your team is pushing a tower. Everything you do should be a build up to Level 11 onward. If you're not going to play to Davion's potential, why the fuck did you even pick him in the first place?

It's the alley-oop of pain. As if getting hit with the opener isn't enough, the real fireworks come when you jump into the fray.

Babysitters

There's a reason why these guys don't need the incredibly expensive items you do. They're there to help you live long enough to go Hulkamania on the pussies on the other team. To a lesser extent, ward bitches also belong in this category.

Mana Batteries

Arcane Ring Boots users also fit the bill here. If only Davion had the mana to spam Breathe Fire. If.

Enemies

Some people just aren't meant to be awesome.

Really, Really Hard Carries

Their ceiling is higher than yours. That having been said, your buildup is a lot better than theirs and you're nowhere near as vulnerable in the early game. They're also considerably more fragile than you are at all stages of the game. It's a sprint to the end: make sure you win.

I know what you're thinking: furries should be terminated with extreme prejudice. Yes, yes they should. Unfortunately, Panda absolutely eats Davion alive. Panda is a pretty standard anti-carry and it's easy to see why: Thunder Clap does a lot of damage early on, when Davion doesn't have a lot of HP. Drunken Haze is there to piss you off all game. As the game goes on, Panda can shift into more of a carry role himself, enjoying passive dodge and crit in the same skill. And if you somehow manage to bring him down to low HP, all he has to do is ult. As if you weren't at his mercy already, Panda can keep you shut down for good even if his ult can't kill you outright. Fear him.